


Below Is Above You, Above Is Below Me

by kelly_goosecock



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Caught, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:06:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21690646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelly_goosecock/pseuds/kelly_goosecock
Summary: Yu and Kanji run into some trouble while trying to get to know each other.
Relationships: Narukami Yu/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 126





	Below Is Above You, Above Is Below Me

**Author's Note:**

> buhhhhhh i have a lot to say about this but it's currently really late and i have work in the morning so i'll just say it's kind of a mess and there's not much porn in it. it might have some errors and probably has some grammar i'll want to change a week from now but whatever. idk why someone would read this. but i like it. so...
> 
> title is taken from "dilemma" by death grips

In the city, it took a lot more than bleached hair and a couple piercings to stand out. You could ride the train a hundred times and never pass the same person twice. Was it the uncomfortable proximity? The paradoxical crowded loneliness of a packed crosswalk? The sheer scale of it all - those buildings all lit up in profitable reminders that you are indeed a very small part of a very big, well oiled nothing-machine? Be it one factor, another, or some random mish-mash thereof, the city seemed to make no exceptions - even for those who strove to be exceptional. That was what made strange the realization that, despite the truth of his existence as not much more than a doofus with a love for knitting and a penchant to overcompensate for his resulting perceived lack of masculinity, Kanji Tatsumi stood in an odd liminal space between mere social outcast and feared crime lord. The country sure was different...

"Ahh, that crap's just a buncha shit. Folks just like a good story, is all. Gets em' all fired up when there's nothin' to actually get pissed about. If anything, I keep the suckers _safe."_

With a sloppy, puckering _mwah,_ the first piece of meat left Kanji's skewer. He did not seem to notice the suggestive nature of the act. 

"Yeah. I figured. Sorry if it's a touchy subject, but I wanted to hear it from you."

Around a chunk of steak:

"Owh, schure, shenpai. It dohn't bothur me."

Chased by a sip of some kind of fruity soda, the obstruction made for Kanji's stomach. He continued, finding no small pleasure in the chance to express himself for once.

"I don't even like the violent shit, really. Forced myself to get good at it, and the rest is history. The rush you get durin' a rumble… it's hard to forget, y'know? Makes you feel like a druggie sometimes. ...s'pose most folks don't hold me much higher than that anyway. I don't wanna act if I don't gotta, but that fake shit's kinda been my new normal for… a while now, huh? I guess you already know all that from the tv thing, though." 

Kanji watched expectantly as Yu took a bite of meat, chewed it, swallowed, and took a small, polite sip of his drink all before even attempting to speak.

"Right. Feel free to go on, if you want. It's good to vent that kinda stuff."

"Hey, senpai, it's not all about me, man. What's your story? Spill."

"Uh, well…"

Grey walls, splotchy windows, grey skies, grey sidewalks. All this through grey eyes. He supposed there was more to tell than _that_ mess, but not much. He found it difficult to describe how being surrounded by people could make it harder to make friends - how something so bustling and alive could feel at times entirely stagnant and dead. It wasn't hatred he associated with the city - far from it, in fact - but between the few kind people and nostalgic memories lay mile deep troughs of grey, grey, grey apathy. Contentedness, at the very best. Atrophy, most typically. Yu would rather be vague than a downer, though.

"...but, yeah. I dunno. All I know is I'd never meet a cool guy like you back home."

Either Kanji had poked his mouth with the skewer or the sentiment was that surprising. He jolted backward and scrambled upright again. 

"Cool? You kiddin’? I ain’t- ...I ain’t _cool_ , Senpai.”

"I think you are. You've got a lot of heart, you know that?"

The farty scoff with which Kanji replied summed up his feelings well enough, but he replied anyway.

"Heart ain't cool. Besides, I only care about my mom."

"Are you acting tough again, or do you really believe that's true?"

"I- Shit."

Jerkily, Kanji wrenched another piece of meat off of his skewer with his fingers and popped it into his mouth with as much spite as one can infuse into such a silly looking action. For the first time since they sat down to eat, he seemed unwilling to maintain eye contact. 

"Whatever. Thanks, I guess. For sayin' I was cool and all."

"Mm."

“Hold up.”

With a _tink,_ Kanji’s drink hit the table. Yu watched him dash away from the Souzai Daigaku storefront and towards an older woman on the street. Having been caught up in both the meal and conversation, Yu hadn't noticed her trek down the street. She was cradling a cartoonishly sized paper bag of groceries in one arm and fumbling a billfold into her handbag with the other. Evidently, such multitasking proved far too laborious, as she failed to notice that a single banknote slipped from her grasp. 

"Hey, lady."

She turned.

"You dropped this."

Looking down his outstretched arm, her face was at first grateful. A cautious smile indicated that she immediately understood the situation.

"Oh. Thank you, young man."

Even from his spot at the table, Yu could see her countenance darken slowly as she looked at Kanji's face.

"Say… Do I recognize you from somewhere?"

"Uhm, name's Tatsumi…"

"Oh. I see."

That was sufficient for her, apparently. Having plucked the money from Kanji's hand, she immediately turned to put distance between them. Kanji slunk back to the table without a word.

"So, what was it?"

"10k."

"Damn."

...unfortunately, whatever steam had been built up in their dialogue was now gone - a fact which was made worse by Kanji's new sour expression. He seemed yet unwilling to offer any of his own thoughts up for consideration.

"You, uh… you alright? I know that lady kinda dissed you, but-"

"I ain't mad. Well, no, I am mad, actually. I'm pissed off - just not at her, though. She wouldn't treat me like that if I hadn't gone and fucked my _self_ over first. Act like me, and you'll get shitty looks from folks you don't even know. I knew what I was doing."

"Hey, they'll come around. Just show em' who you really are."

Finally, a smirk broke through Kanji's pout. 

"Right. You don't even know who that _is_ yet - and it _ain't_ that thing from inside the tv, neither."

"Mm. Wouldn't want me to get the - _ahem-_ wrong idea."

"Shut up. Let's take a walk."

………

"The other kids probably showed you around here already, but this is my favorite place to go when I need to just… air out. River walks are good for that shit."

Yu had been to the riverbed plenty of times, but never bothered to follow the water any further than his fishing spot. 

"You walk this way a lot?"

He must have wavered, because Kanji chuckled at the question.

"Don't worry. Ain't like a puma's gonna jump outta the bushes or anything."

"Uh- _huh."_

"...so, how you likin' the town so far? If- uh, if you ain't tired a' gettin' asked that."

"Not as quiet as I would have thought."

"Yeah?"

...eventually, the riverbed flattened out, giving way to a forested sort of park. As promised, the trickling whir of the river beside them formed a pleasing backing track to their idle conversations. Soon they were passing trees and benches with-

" _Shit, who's that other guy?"_

_"Shut up!"_

Kanji froze, eyes darting out into the woods. 

"Hey! Who's there!?"

Had someone broken a twig, or did the wind just pick up and rustle the leaves overhead?

"C'mon, pussy. Get out here."

Sure enough, three young and rather angry looking boys slipped out of cover and into view. Their leader was apparently the tallest of the trio, a prissy-faced blonde who was dressed a bit too sharp to be ambushing folks in the woods. He spoke with practiced authority. 

"You better watch your fuckin' tongue. I _was_ gonna make your punishment quick, but now…"

Out of the side of his mouth, Kanji frantically whispered to Yu.

"Get outta here, man. These guys ain't shit. I can take em'."

Sure, Yu could leave. He was certain that Kanji had it in him to win such a lopsided fight, especially considering the fact that these guys seemed to be out for revenge - meaning that he'd kicked their asses before. ...but if that was the case, why were they so confident _now_?

This was where Yu's memory cut off. Though he wouldn't remember it, he caught a glimpse of something shiny in one of the boy's hands.

"He's got a _knife,_ dude."

Perhaps foolishly, Kanji turned all the way around to chastise Yu. The following moments flashed past in an angry haze.

"I said, get the _fuck_ outta here, Y-"

The dry crunch of swift footsteps. Kanji was gone. Who was this new face? Dirt. Leaves. Twigs. Something hit the back of Yu's-

Nothing. 

………

Each of Yu's senses returned gradually. That said, his consciousness never presented itself in pieces - _that_ was all or nothing - which made things especially strange when he came to. It was as if he had simply blinked and ended up somewhere new, eyes closed and hearing muddled. A haze enveloped his mind as if he'd just awoke from a long sleep, though he had no dreams or memories to reflect upon. He had been with Kanji in the woods, and then he was here. 

Where was 'here'?

With some force, he opened his eyes. A voice said something from a distance ( _yu, oh shit, yu, are you okay, hey, talk to me)_ but he barely registered it as sound let alone words. His vision was blurred, and it thrummed in pain at the presence of some sort of light from above him. The sun? No. Soon enough, something was blotting it out, anyway. A face, it seemed. Heat from the mystery person's skin and breath poured over Yu's own face. Whoever this was, they were really, really close. It felt nice. So nice, in fact, that Yu's instincts took over. It was almost like they were leaning in to…

The kiss lasted a fraction of a second - just long enough for Yu's hearing to return.

"Mm- _aah!_ What the _fuck!?"_

The sound jolted clarity back into the rest of Yu's distorted senses. He was in a beige room. There was Kanji, recoiling and wiping his mouth with his wrist like a stubborn child.

"Oh. It's you."

"Yeah, it's me! What the hell are you tryin'a do!?"

"Uh…"

He could see now that Kanji's jacket was gone, leaving only a now slightly bloodied tank top. There was a yawning gash on his upper bicep that Yu surmised had been the source of the stains on the balled-up wad of tissues in his right hand.

"What the hell happened?"

A short pause indicated Kanji's reluctance to simply ignore their little 'interaction'. Evidently, though, he decided it wasn't the most important thing right that second. 

"We, uh, got jumped. A couple'a guys I pissed off apparently knew I liked to walk around out there, and…"

Nevermind. Even if, right that second, the righteous hand of some pagan god descended from the heavens to bring about the end of days, his focus would never waver from…

"I'm sorry - did you just freakin' kiss me?"

"I guess."

Every muscle in Kanji's body visibly pulled themselves taut. Yu had never seen him with better posture. 

"You _guess?_ You fuckin' _guess!? Why!?"_

A harsh ringing noise grew in Yu's head with every exclamation. He desperately massaged his forehead.

"Dude… _shh."_

Kanji remained wound up, but had clearly realized his error.

"Oh. _Shit. My bad."_

"You don't have to whisper, just- look, just tell me what happened, okay?"

………

Whatever advantage their attackers had leveraged with the knife, they lost when it came to intelligence. Surely one might decide to call off such a plan when _two_ people showed up to fight. Surely that same person might, if forced to fight anyway, focus fire primarily on the person who had proven himself on the battlefield time and time again. They didn't, of course. The 'leader' and his lackey lunged gracelessly at Kanji while the other made for Yu. Neither of Kanji's attackers seemed to have planned their cooperation out, which made it a little easier for him to weave between the first swings of fist and blade. Unfortunately, the added defensiveness that the mere presence of a knife forced out of Kanji allowed a couple of cheap shots to get through, hence the bloody nose (the only remnants of which were scattered across the neckline of his tank top by the time Yu came to) and the arm wound (which, though not dangerously deep, shook him up nonetheless). That said, Kanji had never lost a fight like that and he wasn't planning on ever doing so. Soon, an unconscious Yu was hanging off his back as he trudged back into town. 

……...

For perhaps the first time ever, Kanji found himself _willingly_ entering the police station. One can imagine the kind of thoughts that ran through the mind of the officer at the front desk upon having been greeted with the image of the town troublemaker staggering in all battered and bloody with the head detective's nephew draped over his shoulder like a human shawl. 

"Dojima-san. Get Dojima-san!"

The officer could only respond with a questioning cluster of indistinct phonemes. 

"Now, idiot! C'mon, go!"

He did.

From a doorway off to the side eventually emerged Dojima, nostrils flared and eyes uncharacteristically alive. He marched across the reception area floor with the fervor of a parent whose last bit of patience had just snapped.

"Tatsumi, you better have a good goddamn explanation for this, or so help me god-"

"Hey! I didn't do anything, alright? I mean, it _is_ all my fault, but-"

Kanji was smart enough to know that he kinda fucked that up without having to have stared into Dojima's unwavering scowl the whole time.

"-okay, listen, Yu and I were walking by the river when some guys tried to jump me. They didn't even know Yu, but-"

" _Tatsumi_ ! Is. He. _Okay!?"_

"Oh. Yeah, he's just unconscious."

That clearly wasn't even remotely reassuring to Dojima, who half-grumble-half-growled at the floor, fumbling for his phone. 

"You _should_ have taken him to- _...oh,_ _nevermind, too late now.”_

As he dialed:

“The other boys. What happened to them?"

"Well, uh, if you're lucky, they're probably ten toes up where I left em': in the park by the river."

" _Yes. Hello? I need a-"_

Dojima was now mumbling into his phone and giving no indication that he had heard what Kanji just said. 

" _...okay. Thanks."_

The phone clapped shut, and his attention seemed to refocus on the boy.

"I'm going after them. There's gonna be an ambulance coming in a second. Shouldn't be long. Take care of him until then, okay? Please."

The look in his eyes had softened remarkably in a matter of seconds. It looked like fear had swiftly and handily trumped his anger.

………

"And, uh, yeah. That's basically it."

Yu scratched his head. Suddenly, another question popped into it.

"Kanji, how long have you been sitting here?"

Before Kanji could answer, the door swung open. In stepped a rather meek looking man in a white coat. 

"Ah, thank goodness. You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"A little dizzy. Nothing major."

"Alright. I have a questionnaire for you. Once that's finished, we'll get you a CT scan. Er, young man?"

Kanji blinked.

"If you don't mind, I'd like you step out for a while. Come to think of it, where's your parents?"

"See ya, Yu."

Just like that, Kanji was gone.

………

"Thankfully, it's a very _minor_ concussion. It should heal with a bit of rest. No sports for a while, though. I've got some paperwork here, but it's for your parents…"

"Just mail it to Dojima Ryotaro - my uncle. He's probably busy right now."

"Ah. I see. Welcome to Inaba, I suppose. The waiting room's down the hall and to the left."

Now, Yu wasn't surprised at Dojima's absence, but he definitely didn't expect to see Kanji still sitting in the waiting room. His arm had been bandaged, but he apparently hadn't felt the need to go home to switch to an unsullied shirt. He stood and took a step as if to greet Yu, but froze at the point one might normally initiate a handshake. 

"Senpai. You ain't leavin' in a body bag, so I guess you must be okay."

"Yeah, the doctor says it's just a minor concussion. I'll be fine."

"Kickass. I'll walk you home. You probably wanna lay down, huh?"

With an expectant eye trained on Yu, he turned slightly. He stopped at the realization that Yu was not following. 

"Kanji. Dude. How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Uhhm… a while?"

They stood staring at each other, both trying to suss out the other's inclinations. Kanji got an idea of what Yu was suggesting. 

"Look, I ain't busy. Ain't nothin' more important right now than makin' sure you're okay. It _is_ my fault you got jacked, man."

Ever playful, Yu flashed a little smile.

" _Right_. Lead the way, then."

………

"Nana-chan, you home?"

The pitter-patter of tiny steps was audible even from the doorway.

"Big bro! You're h- ...who's that scary guy?"

The boys shared a startled glance, but Yu found it in him to pick up the slack.

"Oh, it's just a friend from school. He fell off his bike. He's, uh, alright, though."

Kanji's eyes darted from Nanako, to Yu, to the corner of the room, and back again. He didn't seem comfortable introducing himself to an innocent little girl looking like such a punk. A hard nudge knocked his mind back into motion.

"U-uhm, hi, Nana-chan. I'm Kanji. Nice to meet you."

She showed no intentions of letting her guard down. Begging for the interaction to end or at least stop being awkward, Yu took the reins again.

"He's just gonna be here for a little bit, okay? After dinner, I can help with homework or play a game or whatever you wanna do."

"O-okay. Bye, scary guy."

"My name's-"

She was already back in her room by the time he was halfway through the feeble protest.

"-Kanji…" 

Yu clapped him on the back.

"Hey. Thanks for walking me home, _scary guy_."

While Yu's little joke clearly did nothing to amuse Kanji, the boy was acting more on edge than such a jab would merit. 

"That's it, huh? You, uh… you good?"

"Yup."

"I mean, I can stick around and fetch you, like, water or somethin’ if you're still-"

"Kanji, I'm okay. Really."

"-okay, cause I'm just sayin’-"

"Look, do you _want_ to stay with me?"

The notion threw a stick between the rattling spokes of Kanji's awkward train of thought, forcing him to pick his next words carefully.

"If… if you want, sure. I'd be cool with that."

"Okay. Follow me."

Yu gave another of those playful little smirks. Subtlety, thy name was not Kanji. Though he couldn't really guess what his new friend was aiming for, there's no way the guy would get all antsy over such a simple suggestion. Was there something he was forgetting?

………

With the creak of aging springs, Yu lowered himself onto the edge of his futon. He watched Kanji step over to the sofa and turn to face him without sitting down. As shifty as he was acting, it must have been time for him to get to the point.

“I, uh… About that kiss.”

Oh. Right. Having acted with almost no conscious agency, Yu barely even formed a memory of the event. His tacit silence seemed to relieve Kanji of some kind of anxiety - perhaps he thought Yu might have become enraged and shooed him out at the mention of accidental kisses. Crossing his arms, Kanji continued.

“I know it was an accident. You totally didn’t mean anything by it, a-and I’m not mad.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, but- and I think you’re actin’ _way_ too chill right now, but, like… I didn’t _mind_ it.”

Well, it could hardly be said that Yu was all that awestruck by the revelation that Kanji Tatsumi likes kissing dudes. As a matter of fact, it was fairly entertaining that he had decided to hold up the ‘straight’ schtick for so long. Yu couldn’t help but smile again.

"Okay. So what?"

"I guess if you didn't mind either, then it's nothin', huh? Forget it."

"No, I don't think it's nothing."

Though he stepped _forward,_ the motion with which Kanji responded could only be described as defensive. 

"Hey, you better not be callin' me a f-"

He swallowed the word. 

"You better not be sayin' I'm gay."

"I liked it, too, for what it's worth."

"Wh-"

Kanji took a long look at Yu before finally plopping his ass down onto the sofa behind him.

"You're serious? You mean that?"

"Hand to god."

Kanji's head fell back with a considerable sigh. His feet slid out and apart as he dropped all of the tension from his muscles into the sofa. 

"Jesus friggin' christ, man. That's a relief. I just… couldn't figure out how to say it. I guess I say a lot of things I don't mean, even now, and - y'know - you _really_ put me in a box with this whole kissin' shit."

"Sorry. I think I can make it up to you."

One could almost hear the creak of Kanji's neck as his head slowly, deliberately bent back into place.

"You _what now?"_

"C'mere."

Though it took what felt like hours for him to rise from his seat, Kanji did eventually obey, plodding over to the futon like a cautious hunter trying not to startle some nearby prey.

"Okay, senpai. I'm here."

The first thing that made Kanji jump was Yu's swift transition from sitting to standing. The second - and third, I suppose - things were Yu's arms sliding up the back of his shirt, pulling their chests together. Wide eyes peered down at Yu as if it wasn't obvious what should happen next. Yu correctly assumed he had to clarify. 

"It's all out on the table, man. I get it - it's hard to admit - but right now… _just go ahead and kiss me already, dumbass."_

Though his gaze never wavered, Kanji's moment of reluctance had Yu wondering if he really wanted it after all. Hell, they only just met - not counting the time Kanji spent recovering from his stint as an unwilling star on the Midnight Channel - so why should he be ready for such a big push? Yu was merely riding on his time-tested miraculous charisma to finagle a first kiss. He was no sex symbol, nor was he particularly-

Yu automatically closed his eyes as a foreign warmth closed in on his face. The lips that pressed against his were remarkably gentle considering their owner, but that made sense when considering how apprehensive Kanji had been - verbally or otherwise - up until this point. He was clearly just testing the waters, acting as if Yu were something most cherished and delicate. He had spent so much time on aggression and anger, repelling everything that reminded him of who he really was. How would he feel if he broke the only thing - the only person - who seemed to be able to make it all go away?

Out of respect, Yu returned the sentiment. Each ghostly pucker - each tender breath - was like an unspoken affirmation that, yes, I understand. Yes, everything is going to be okay. Though they might have occasionally stumbled and fallen at the hands of their inexperience, the act in and of itself absolved those little failures. Yu, despite the fact that it seemed fate had ordained him as some kind of dauntless hero, was not immune to anxiety and self-doubt. In Kanji's lips, it felt like he, too, had found the cure.

" _Kanji."_

He pulled back.

"Can I… uh, _do… something_?"

As if Kanji didn't look worried enough, the vague question pushed his eyebrows even higher. 

"Senpai-"

"It's just that you've spent so much time trying to take care of me, but nobody gives you a second thought. I don't want it to be that way. I want to make you feel better, too."

"Senpai, what're you asking?"

Yu spent a brief moment trying to decide the least crass way of expressing his request, all the while maintaining almost comically close eye contact with Kanji.

"I want to… touch you."

There went Kanji's eyebrows again. 

"You would really do that?"

A nod. Finally, Kanji broke eye contact, taking in a big breath and then sighing it all out again. 

"Okay."

Having to split apart was not something either boy particularly wanted to do, but the promise that the future held was well worth it. 

"Here, sit."

Kanji cautiously lowered himself onto the edge of the futon, nervously gripping the fitted sheet. It wasn't long before Yu's hands were fumbling at the button fly of Kanji's black jeans and taking in the strange sensation of performing a very familiar action from a _very_ unfamiliar angle. His characteristic confidence was woefully absent as he knelt, slipping his fingers into his friend's waistband, with each quickening beat of his heart slowing down time a little bit more than the last. 

Despite his height, Kanji wasn't much bigger than Yu at all, and having brought his pants to his knees, it became apparent that he was at least as turned on as Yu was. Though his cock was twitching and begging for attention, the first thing Yu did was slide his hands up the outside of the boy's thighs - an action that elicited a hiss of surprise. As he dragged his fingers over and around the tense, hard muscle, he watched Kanji's lower lip slip between his own teeth with a soft bite. 

"Do you like that?"

" _Mmnh_."

It would have been perfectly acceptable to Yu if he were to massage his friend's legs for the next few hours, but another look at the needy cock mere inches from his face convinced him that perhaps Kanji didn't need any more teasing. 

There was that strange feeling again. Like nearly every boy his age, Yu had developed certain habits right around the time he started 'noticing girls', and even though what lay before him should rightfully be familiar territory, there was _something_ about touching another boy like that that was so much more fulfilling than simple masturbation. He felt a heartbeat in his palm as he lightly tugged downward, taking in every detail of the softly textured pink skin. It occurred to him that he'd never had such a great view of the underside of his _own_ cock, but he did know just how torturously good it could feel to play around that area with a spit-slicked finger. Perhaps, given his proximity to the thing, he should skip the finger. _Perhaps_ , his brain urged, _he should cut the pussy shit and get that goddamn thing in his mouth._

Of all the things that had startled Kanji, this was the first to push out an actual _sound_ \- a yelp of combined surprise and pleasure. While not particularly high pitched, it made him sound amusingly feminine for someone like, well, Kanji. Still gripping the shaft, Yu plunged the first inch or so of Kanji into his mouth, flicking at that magical spot as best as he could with his tongue. Soon, Kanji's earlier yelp was joined by several more whimpers, each more pathetic than the last. Feeling encouraged, Yu slid up and back down with enough extra force to push another inch or so inside of him. 

" _S-senpai-"_

If Kanji liked what Yu was doing, that only made Yu want to give him more. His head bounced at an increasing pace, slurping and sucking and pushing deeper, ever deeper. They formed a vicious circle, with Kanji's whined affirmations driving Yu further down on his cock, which only served to squeeze even more sound out of the-

" _-guh-"_

To his unending disappointment, Yu was far from able to fit Kanji entirely into his mouth. He pulled away in a panic, coughing to the side. It looked so easy in those videos… 

"Hey, uh… don't push yourself, dude."

Yu smiled.

"I'm okay."

The smile flattened out for a moment as Yu's mind diverted its attention elsewhere. He reached for Kanji's hand.

"Here. Do this."

Yu directed the hand onto the back of his head.

"Grab it, silly."

Grey locks intertwined with Kanji's tightened fingers.

"Go on. Push."

Again, Yu's mouth filled with the slick, hard throb of-

The door slid quietly open.

"Yu? The doctor said he discharg-"

A wide eyed Dojima stood as still as a corpse, and as the color drained from his face, he began to look like one, too. Yu managed to wrench free of the grip on his head (which, in a panic, clenched tighter rather than letting go), falling from his knees to his ass as he turned to catch a glimpse of his catatonic uncle.

"I- ...I was j- ...I was just checking up-"

Dojima spun on the spot and left. 

Through the profound silence that had descended upon the room, a small, distant voice could be heard:

"Daddy? Are you okay? You look like you saw something scary. ...oh! Was it that scary guy? He scared me, too!"

It took a second before Yu remembered to breathe. Kanji beat him to it.

"Holy. Fuckin'. Shit, dude."

Not only had his erection wilted entirely, but his expression was beginning to match that of Dojima. Yu pouted. 

" _Damn_ it. I'm sorry, man. I didn't think this through at all. ...I didn't even make you cum."

"Hey, it's okay, senpai. It sure ain't happenin' now."

Relishing the moment of brevity, they shared weak, but genuine smiles. With a tired sigh, Kanji's vanished. He rose, returning his pants to their rightful place.

"I, uh… I guess I better get goin' before your uncle decides to get his gun or something. _heh._ "

Picking himself up off the floor, Yu chuckled too, less because what Kanji said was either funny or realistic and more out of sheer residual nerves. 

"Mm. Maybe sometime we can try again, huh? We managed to pick the one day where Dojima had bigger priorities than work, so I guess we were kinda boned from the start."

"I'd like that. Yeah. You know where to find me. Hit me up."

Kanji's pursuit of the door was halted by a hand on his shoulder and a voice in his ear. 

"One last thing."

He almost didn't have to turn, as a pair of arms were pulling him back around anyway. Yu's lips pressed against his in a final goodbye kiss. He wasn't set free yet, though.

"I'd definitely never meet anyone like you in the city. You're not just a cool guy. You're so much more than cool."

"Senpai, I already said-"

"I don't _give_ a shit what you said. You're special to _me_. Okay? I… I like you a lot, Kanji."

Kanji's lip quivered a little. 

"...thank you. I like you, too, Yu."

Yu relinquished his grip on the other boy. 

"Good. I'm glad. You better get outta here, though. I hear Dojima-san's a crack shot…"

Another nervous chuckle, this time from Kanji.

" _Riiight_. ...see you later, senpai."

"Bye, Kanji."

………

The _plop_ of Yu's bobber hitting the river's surface felt somewhat lonely in the crisp, silent air of the floodplain. Seated on a nearby rock, Yosuke sighed.

"So, you talk to that Tatsumi guy yet? He still kinda gives me the willies, honestly."

"He's alright. If you're worried he's gonna kick your ass, don't be. He wouldn't hurt a fly. ...unless it said something bad about his mom, I guess."

"Uh, _kicking_ ain't the thing I'm worried about him trying to do to my ass, man."

Looking up from the water, it was clear that Yosuke was entirely serious. 

"Speak for yourself."

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, you can follow me at @DegenerateMoron


End file.
